The Strangeling's Tale
by Sylvia Viridian
Summary: Mewtwo wasn't the only genetic experiment in that lab...complete, with sequel posted!
1. The Story

Just a quick note here: I do not own Pokémon, I have never claimed any association with Nintendo, so please don't sue me. Please R+R, and if enough people like it I'll type up the sequel I've been working on.  
  
Incidentally, I cannot say that any resemblance to real people is coincidental; the crossbreeds are modeled after myself, some of my friends, and my little sister. Other than that, the characters were created by others for the TV show and movies. Please keep in mind as you read that this was written three years ago, when the list of new pokémon had not yet been translated into English, and Pokémon 2000 was still fresh in people's minds.  
  
The Strangeling's Tale  
  
I can't remember my first few years very well. It was like a dream, only more of a nightmare. I remember being in a lab, in a cage, surrounded by scientists. The scientists were always doing tests and performing experiments. They tested to see if I could withstand various types of attack. Once, they had to call a pokémon nurse in to heal me, after they shot flame-throwers at me.  
  
At first, I couldn't tell what they were saying. Every pokémon is born with the knowledge of pokémon language, but most of them have to learn Human on their own. So I listened to them speak, and bit by bit, on my own, I learned their language. I learned that I was not the only creature they were studying. I listened to them, preparing for the time when I would escape.  
  
The funny thing is, I don't think they ever realized that I was planning. They saw me as an animal, a freak. Which I suppose I kind of was. The difference was, I could think, which was an ability I never observed in the scientists. I figured out how to escape my cage. After that, I was able to get more food, because they never gave me enough. I always made sure to bring some back for the others who were in the room with me. Each of us had our own cage, but we weren't supposed to know that there were others in the room, so the scientists kept the lights dim. I could never see who I was feeding. The world had been dark for as long as I could remember, except for the hallways the scientists used.  
  
One thing I have never understood about them is that I studied them just as much as they studied me, if not more, but they never realized it. I got plumper when I got more food, but they didn't look twice at me. As a matter of fact, I don't think they even looked once at me. With all the studying they did, I don't think they ever really looked at me, never noticed physical change. They were too locked into their routines.  
  
Then, one day, they all suddenly rushed from the room. I didn't know what they were going to go see, but I heard a few exclamations. The leader said, "Wait. . . something's going on with our main project!" That's when the rush started. I only caught a few phrases after that, mostly because I wasn't listening to them anymore. Something about "Mewtwo" whatever that was (I learned what it - or, rather, he - was later on).  
  
I had stopped paying attention to them, because suddenly, there was a voice, a whisper, in my head. This must be the doing of that experiment!  
  
The voice itself sounded confused. It said, "Who. . . am I. . . I?" It sounded faint and echoing, as if from a long distance, but I could understand the words clearly. It continued, "Where. . . am I. . . I?" The sound seemed forced, as though it were an effort to form words. "I. . . am ready. . . to be. . . to be. . . to be." The voice disappeared, but not before I caught a glimpse of some vast power awakening. It frightened me, but I realized that it was not evil, just incredibly powerful. My last glimpse though, was a flare of anger-not directed at me, but at someone in the room with the psychic whatever-it-was. Then the vast mind gained control, and closed.  
  
Minutes later, the complex exploded, starting with the room that - what did the scientists call it? Mewtwo - the room that Mewtwo was in. The others and I were in a room at the edge of the complex, and Mewtwo was not focused on destroying us (although I'm sure he knew we were there), or maybe he wanted us to find freedom. Whatever the reason, instead of being destroyed, the blast scattered us far and wide, flinging us all the way to the nearest coastline, some distance away. I watched the ground come to meet me, and wondered why I was still alive, and whether I would be alive after I hit. Then, I smacked into the ground, the first true earth I'd ever felt. I couldn't enjoy it, though, because I hit headfirst, and blacked out.  
  
When I woke up, the first thing I noticed was that I ached all over. The next thing I noticed was that I was alive. After some thought, I concluded that this was probably a good thing, no matter how awful I felt. Then I looked around me , trying to figure out where I was, exactly. It was full of lots of things the color of my skin, and it smelled. . . comfortable. I decided it must be one of those strange areas the scientists talked about, in the world outside. Which one, though? I searched my mind, and came up with an answer; it was a forest. The really tall things were trees, and the smaller things were grass and other undergrowth. I also discovered that I could hide in them pretty well, because they matched the color of my skin just perfectly, with the flowers on my head poking up just like ordinary flowers. The forest was on the edge of a grassy field, which I started to wander through.  
  
Did I mention that I am half human, half Bellossom?  
  
Anyway, I decided to hide there while I thought things over. Those scientists at the lab had been blind, and I truly hated them. But they couldn't be the only humans in the world, could they? There must be others, others who are different. I decided to give humans a second chance. I had felt Mewtwo's rage at humankind, but I knew, somehow, that it was misplaced. I would find my place peacefully. Also, I was not as strong as Mewtwo, so could hardly go around conquering the world. I started daydreaming about all the things I could do instead.  
  
I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I didn't notice all the birds that were circling overhead. They came lower and lower, until one of them pecked me on the top of my head. It hurt, but at least it woke me up! I realized that there must be about thirty of the birds, all circling just above my head. How could I be so careless? I quickly leaped to my feet, which was the worst thing I could have done. It took my head right into the middle of the flock, and they started pecking and scratching me from all directions. I was so frightened, I forgot to yell in Human. Instead, I fell back into Pokemon language, "To rel! Rellossom! Torellossom, torell, rellos!" Translated, that was a barely recognizable call for help. I was unused to speaking. A few birds of a different species poked their heads out of the grass, but made no move to help. I tried again, this time in Human, "Help me! Help! Somebody, anybody, help me!"  
  
This time, I got a response. A voice called out from some distance away, "Hey, looks like we've got another escapee!" Another voice said, "Use one of your attacks!"  
  
Attacks? Did I have attacks? "Like what?" I called.  
  
"How should I know? Try something!" The voice was definitely female.  
  
I tried something. I still don't quite understand what I did, but the flowers on my head started showering petals all over the place. I heard strange, beautiful, music, and felt like the best thing I could do would be to dance to it, though I couldn't have told you why if you had asked me. So I danced. My arms and legs whacked the birds as I danced, and I realized this must be an effect of the attack. Soon, they were all gone, off to seek easier prey. I collapsed, worn out and dizzy from the spinning, then fainted.  
When I came to (again), I was in a strange room, lying on a bed. I sat up, and saw a woman with red hair, an apron, and a white hat with a red cross on the front. Next to her was a pokémon with a similar cap. The pokémon was pink and egg-shaped, with a pouch on its belly. The pouch contained an egg. "Chansey!" it said. The woman turned away from the computer she was working at.  
  
"Oh, good! I'm glad to see you up and about!" By the sound of her voice, she was the person who had called out for me to use an attack. She helped me out of the bed. I took a few uncertain steps, regaining my balance, then turned to face her.  
  
"What is this place? Who are you? How do I know I can trust you? How did I get here?" I wasn't sure if I had been recaptured, or if I was really being helped.  
  
"Goodness!" She laughed. "One question at a time, please! This is a pokémon center. We heal pokémon here. My name is Nurse Joy. I manage the pokémon center and make sure the pokémon heal properly. You were brought here from where we found you, in a field just south of the city. As for trusting me, well, I'm not sure yet. You'll have to figure that one out. But I'm certainly not about to give you back to the scientists. Besides, they all died in the explosion."  
  
"Good! They were awful! They didn't give me enough food, and they never talked to me, just talked about me in my presence, and they didn't know a thing about pokémon, for all their studying, and they never noticed that I could talk at all, they never even tried, and - wait a minute, how do you know where I came from?"  
  
"There have been others that escaped. You're just our latest arrival. They told us all about the explosion before you got here." I remembered how the first human voice had said something about 'another escapee'. "But right now, you need to relax, and explore the outside world. Do you know what your element type is?"  
  
I considered. "Grass, I think. I heard one of the scientists mention it."  
  
"That would explain the attack you used. The Professor said it looked like Petal Dance. I wonder what other attacks you know?"  
  
"Professor?" I asked.  
  
"Yes, Professor Oak. When he heard about all the strange pokémon sightings, he came up here to investigate. He lives in Pallet Town, not far from here."  
  
"What were those things that attacked me?"  
  
"Spearow. In this area, they're particularly vicious. No one quite knows why they're like that, but you certainly aren't the first innocent pokémon to get attacked like this."(author's note: read my story about Sylvia for the first recorded Spearow attack in that field.:-D)  
  
"What about that one helping you? What's it called?"  
  
"That's Chansey. They're known for being gentle, and good at healing, so they're usually employed at pokémon centers. Otherwise, they're quite rare."  
  
"Wow! How many kinds of pokémon are there?"  
  
"There are over 151 known species of pokémon, as well as a few unique ones, like yourself."  
  
"Could- could I meet some of the others? The others like me?" I hoped the others in my room had survived. They were the only other pokémon I had ever encountered, before my escape.  
  
"Certainly. They have been staying in town. There are only a few found here so far, but we expect to find more. It's odd that the pokémon survived, but all of the scientists were killed." Her face hardened for a moment, "Not, mind you, that they didn't deserve it. How anyone could be so cruel to a pokémon is quite beyond me." She brightened. "But anyway, the others should be easy enough to find. I think one of them is lifeguarding at the swimming pool. As far as the rest, just ask around, they're sure to be the talk of the town."  
  
"Okay, I will. Thanks, Nurse Joy! I'll probably be seeing you later!" I waved goodbye, started walking off, then realized something. "Um, by the way, where exactly is the swimming pool?"  
  
She smiled and pointed, saying, "Just take a left at the corner of Earth St. and Rainbow Way. You can't miss it, it's full of giggling, screaming kids."  
  
"All right! Thanks again!" I started walking down the street, and soon I reached the pool. I saw what was obviously another crossbreed sitting at the top of a very tall chair, watching the pool. She had on a short skirt, and a tight T-shirt, all a light blue color that nearly matched her skin. Her hair was long, blue, and flowing, like water. She had large blue eyes that sparkled with a mischievous light, but buried a little way beneath the surface was sadness, as though she had been through great suffering. She also smelled faintly of the ocean. There were white diamond-shaped spots, one in the middle of her forehead, and a row on each arm, from the shoulder to the elbow. I walked over to the base of her chair, and called up to her, "Hello! I'm new in town."  
  
She began to reply slightly before she looked down at me, "How come you're telling- oh! Sorry, I didn't see you. . . I'm Suiculia. What's your name?"  
  
"Torellossom. Human female, age 16, crossed with a Bellossom female, age unknown. Recently discovered after being attacked by Spearow. You?"  
  
"Human female, age 13, crossed with Suicune, legendary dog, age and gender unknown. Discovered crawling into town after a long, long fall. Luckily, the river cushioned it."  
  
"Luckily for you, maybe! If I had fallen in the river, I definitely would have drowned! Do you know where any of the others might be?"  
  
"Yeah, I heard that there were a couple down at the museum. They've been after all the info they can get online. I gotta stay here, but I'm sure you can find them. It's the biggest building in the city."  
  
"Okay. Thanks. Nice meeting you!" I waved goodbye.  
  
"Sure thing! Drop in anytime the pool is open, I'll probably be here."  
  
I left the pool, and went down to the museum. It was clearly visible among all the other buildings, and soon I was there. I went inside, and the first thing I noticed was two half-human males, shorter than average, sitting at the PC just inside the door. One of them was pink and blue, and somewhat blocky. The other, a little shorter, was gray, with large pointed ears on top of his head, and a tail that looked almost like a tree branch. Both were staring intently at the computer screen. "Um, hello?" I asked cautiously. The pink and blue one turned around, startled. The gray one said, "Oh, hello," and continued doing whatever he was doing, apparently unsurprised.  
  
I addressed the pink and blue one. "My name is Torellossom, and I'm new in town. I'm just going around introducing myself to everyone else like you and me."  
  
"I'm Benygon, half-human, half-Porygon. Element type normal. This guy over here is Natheon, half-human, half-" He was interrupted by Natheon, who had apparently taken an interest in the conversation.  
  
"-Espeon. Element type psychic." He squinted at me. "Don't I know you?"  
  
"Yeah, I think so. Two cages down. . . every now and then I got out of my cage and got food for everyone. It was dark, so no one really got a good look at anyone else, but you seem familiar. Anyway, I'm Torellossom, half-human, half-Bellossom, and my element type is grass. Whatcha lookin' at?"  
  
"It's a list of all the known species of pokémon, including types and other interesting data. Here, have a look. . . "  
  
I spent the rest of the day there, looking at the pokémon data. I learned that I ought to be able to use the attacks Mega Drain, Petal Dance, Solarbeam, and Sleep Powder. Finally, as the sun was setting, Nurse Joy came to get us. "Suiculia got off work hours ago! What are you three doing still here?" She looked at the computer screen. "Oh. Did you know we have a computer at the Pokécenter? We have it for trainers to use, but when others aren't busy on it, I'm sure you three could get online. Why don't you come on back now, and we'll have dinner. You three must be hungry by now."  
  
My stomach growled. "Dinner sounds like a good idea! How about it, you two? Let's go!" I turned around to face the others, only to find that Natheon had vanished. "Hey, where'd Natheon get to?"  
  
"Right here," he said from behind me. I jumped about three feet straight up, then turned and gave him a mild glare. He wilted slightly and said in a small voice, "Well, you said, 'let's go'. . . "  
  
"How did you-"  
  
"Do that? Short-range teleportation. Eventually I might be able to do it long-range, but until then, I can't teleport over distances greater than several yards." He shrugged, "So anyway, let's get going."  
  
"Right. Let's. Come on, Benygon. Dinnertime!"  
  
We started heading back to the pokémon center. As we walked, Nurse Joy explained to us what had happened while we were absorbed in the computer screen. "There's a new arrival. We found him unconscious on the ground, so we brought him to the Pokécenter. He hasn't woken up yet."  
  
"What's he look like?" I asked. I was always curious about everything, poking my nose everywhere, whether it belonged there or not. So far, it had never been a problem. So far.  
  
"Teal, with a few dark green spots, and a rosebud on his back, like an Ivysaur."  
  
"Cool!" I said, "Any other distinguishing features?"  
  
"Spiky hair, like a Sandslash's back. Other than that, he's mostly a normal kid, except for the coloring and the rosebud."(Author's note: no, he isn't part Sandslash; the guy he's modeled after really does have hair like that.)  
  
"Neat-o! C'mon, Let's go have a look!" I ran ahead, arriving at the pokémon center before everyone else. "Hurry up, Slowpokes!" I giggled. We went inside, and Nurse Joy led us into the recovery room, where the latest escapee was lying on a bed, sound asleep. As we came in, he stirred.  
  
"Look! He's waking up!" I said. We all rushed over to the bed, including Suiculia, who had been here much longer than the rest of us (having returned promptly after getting off work).  
  
"What do you suppose he'll be like?" Suiculia asked.  
  
"Bouncy!" Benygon replied.  
  
"He'll probably be mad at the scientists. I sure wouldn't blame him." Natheon said.  
  
"Me neither. I still can't understand how they could not notice the way we were suffering." I bristled a little.  
  
"Sshh! Quiet, he's not recovered yet," Nurse Joy shushed everyone, moving us away from the bed, "Stop crowding, give him some air." We all moved back while she took care of him, checking his vital signs and bandages, and sending a Chansey nurse off for some medicine.  
  
He stirred again, moaning a little. She was quickly back standing right next to the bed. "Sshh, don't try to talk. Drink this, it's just water." She helped him sit up, and he drank some of the water, then lay down again.  
  
He turned over and looked around. "Where am I?" he asked weakly.  
  
"You're in a pokémon center. You're safe here. All the scientists were killed in the explosion," Nurse Joy explained.  
  
"Oh. What about the others? Did they make it?"  
  
Suiculia stood up and moved over next to the bed. "We think most of us made it out. Some of us are here; others may have landed elsewhere. I'm Suiculia." She introduced the rest of us, as we moved up next to the bed with her. "What's your name?"  
  
"Travisaur. Ivysaur-human."  
  
"Cool. Anyway, welcome to here. I'm new, too, so I don't believe I know exactly where "here" is. . . " She looked at Nurse Joy.  
  
She smiled. "Viridian City," she said.  
  
"Ah. Okay. So, welcome to Viridian City," she said, grinning at him.  
  
He smiled back. "I think I'll like it here."  
  
And that's how it all began. We were welcomed into the community, and within a few days, we had all found jobs. I worked in the greenhouse. We found more escapees every day. Life was good, everyone was happy. I should have known it wasn't meant to last.  
  
Around the time that we started not finding so many of us, something seemed to change. The novelty of our existence had worn off, and we began to be seen by many as freaks, and as a drain on the community. The change was subtle at first, but people started giving us funny looks, and we would get things that were slightly worse than everyone else's. If there was a broken cookie in the box, one of us would be sure to get it, and be told nicely that it will taste, 'just as good as all the rest of them'. Which was true enough, but it felt weird after a while. It got so bad that occasionally, I would walk by a group of people who were talking, and they would stop talking and watch me as I went by, then continue their conversation, but more quietly, as if they didn't want me to hear. I know the others received the same kind of treatment. We got raises less frequently than people who did less work than us, and the raises we did get tended to be smaller. Nurse Joy saw this happening, and tried to correct it when she could. But she couldn't change the minds of nearly everyone in the whole city. It got worse and worse, until finally, I couldn't take it anymore. We all met, and decided to go out into the wild and find others of our individual pokémon species, or live alone, away from everyone else.  
  
So we said our sad good-byes, to each other, and to Nurse Joy, who made us all promise to keep in touch as much as possible. We promised, but we all realized that none of us were likely to see each other again, ever. We didn't say goodbye to any of the people in town, except for leaving notes to their employers, saying that we would be gone in the morning. Eventually, they forgot us entirely, except Nurse Joy. The day that we were supposed to have had the "storm to end all storms"(which never materialized), everyone in the city seemed to just. . . forget us, except as sort of a dream or a legend.  
  
Anyway, I headed into the forest, and quickly found a colony of Bellossom. They were confused, at first, by my presence.  
  
Hey, who are you? one of them asked me, And what are you doing here?  
  
Another of them said, Loso, look at her. She looks a lot like a human, and you know they can't understand us. She probably doesn't speak our language.  
  
(Author's Note: I should probably point out that all this was said in the Bellossom dialect of the pokémon language, which is the reason for the strange quotation marks. It has been translated into Human for the readers' convenience. All further instances of pokémon language will be translated in this manner.)  
  
Actually, I am only half human, and I can both understand and speak your language. The other half is Bellossom, as you may or may not have noticed. I surprised them all by speaking their language fluently.  
  
Half Bellossom? You look it, but. . . how could that be? the first one, Loso, asked.  
  
Only through genetic engineering, I assured him. I explained to him how I had been created in a lab, then lived with humans. I told them the story of how the humans pushed us all out, and I had come looking for refuge here in the forest. So now, I'm looking for a place to stay. I put on my best "cutie pie" face, Could I maybe stay here, with you? Maybe just for a while? I won't be any trouble, and I'll work hard to fit in and help out, I promise!  
  
The Bellossom both looked surprised. Of course you can stay! We were assuming that all along! the second one said, My name is Mala. What's yours?  
  
Torellossom. Thank you so much. You guys are way different from the full humans. I'm sure I'll be much happier here.  
  
So the second chapter of my life began. The Bellossom took me in, and taught me the ways of the wild, the ways of the forest. Mala became like the mother I never had, and I told her everything. I learned how to use all of my attacks, and what attacks to use at what time, and when discretion is truly the better part of valor. But something still held me back. I felt as though something else was calling to me. I started to feel like an outsider again. When I told Mala about this, she replied, What do you think you need to do about it?  
  
I don't know. I feel like a fifth wheel around here, you know? Like there's no place that isn't filled, and I'm just extra baggage. I need to go somewhere, but I don't want to leave the forest here, or the Bellossom. I just don't know.  
  
Perhaps if you left just for a little while, to explore on your own, then came back. Or, if you prefer, stay somewhere. You'll always be welcome here, and it sounds to me like you just need some space to grow, and to sort things out for yourself. Whatever happens, just remember that you can always come back here. We'll take you in gladly.  
  
Really? You mean it? Okay, then. I think that's just what I'll do. I'll go and seek my fortune. If it works out, I'll send word. If it doesn't, I'll come back. I sighed. I'll miss you though, Mala. Thank you again for all you've done for me. I'll never forget you, no matter what. I promise.  
  
I know you won't, Torellossom. She brightened up again, Now, you're going to need supplies. . .   
  
Once all the preparing was done, I left, waving goodbye to everyone as I did so. Then I jumped up into a tree, so as to travel out of sight of any curious humans. I leaped through the trees, not going anywhere in particular. I traveled this way for the rest of the day, until I came to a river. I decided that this would be a good place to stay the night, so I jumped down and started laying out supplies on the riverbank. Suddenly there was a voice from the river. "Hey, what are you doing here?"  
  
I jumped in surprise. "Wha?" Then I realized that I knew the sound of that voice. "Suiculia? Is that you? Where are you?"  
  
"Over here, silly! In the river!" I looked closer, and found I could just barely discern her shape in the flowing water. "Hiya!"  
  
"Wow, nice camouflage! I didn't see you at all!" I sat down on the riverbank. "So, how've you been? I haven't seen you in ages! Where have you been all this time? I've been in a Bellossom village. They were really nice. I'm babbling, aren't I? I do that when I'm really excited. I probably should stop talking now. Okay."  
  
Suiculia giggled, which had been my goal all along. Encouraged, I continued. "But seriously, where did you stay for all that time? It must have been a year or two, at least. That's quite a while. What did you do with yourself?"  
  
"If you'll take a breath, I'll answer!" she said with a laugh "I've been around all over the place. I never really settled down to any one place. I just drifted, hanging around the water most of the time. I've sort of been waiting for something, I guess. Some sort of a sign, showing me my calling. I don't really know. I'll find it when I do."  
  
"Yeah, I guess I've been waiting for it too, or something similar. I guess in the meantime I'll just keep going along, doing whatever.  
  
"Yeah. . . Say, have you seen any of the others? I haven't seen any of them since we left the city."  
  
"Nope. You're the first one I've seen. I wonder where everyone else went."  
  
Suddenly, another familiar voice came from directly behind me, surprising me. This was not generally considered possible, because most of the time I could hear any and every form of footsteps. The voice said, "Well, I'm right here."  
  
I jumped about two feet, turning around as I did so. I saw Natheon directly behind me. "Natheon! You scared me half to death! Where'd you learn to do that?" I recovered from my shock, and sat down again, turning to face him. "Where have you been staying all this time?"  
  
"I've been keeping track of almost everybody's whereabouts. And I found some new friends." He got a strange gleam in his eye. "Why don't I bring you two to meet them? You'll like them, and you may be just what we've been looking for. Come on, this way." He led us off toward the darkest part of the forest, where few creatures, human or pokémon, ever ventured.  
  
We traveled deep into the heart of the forest, where no Pidgey sang. Not even the Oddish would live here, and Oddish are nocturnal. But this was more than just dark; it was thoroughly forbidding, and could make any creature feel unwelcome. I shivered. "This place is spooky."  
  
"The nervousness you're feeling is an effect one of my friends has set down in this region. It prevents curious humans and pokémon from finding it. They just shy off. Occasionally, a couple kids on a dare will get too close. That's where I come in. My friends don't like to be seen, so it's my job to scare away anyone who gets too close. That's how I learned the trick I used to sneak up on you," Natheon explained.  
  
"I thought it was a bit odd," replied Suiculia, "You must have made some friends in really high places."  
  
"You could say that," Natheon agreed, "But they're a lot of fun most of the time, and they really just want to be left alone."  
  
We came to a clearing. At the edge of the clearing, there was a cave. It looked even more foreboding than the forest did, and I didn't really want to go in. Natheon entered without hesitation. Suiculia and I exchanged glances and shrugged, then followed him tentatively into the cave.  
  
The cave was dark at first, but as my eyes adjusted, I saw a dim light coming from a twisting tunnel at the back of the cave. We followed the tunnel's winding path, the light getting brighter and brighter, until we emerged into a vast, well-lit cavern. I blinked, trying to clear the spots from my eyes.  
  
Suddenly, a voice boomed out. I was worried that it might cause an avalanche, until I realized that it was only inside my head. The voice said, {Natheon! What's all this? You know you aren't supposed to bring humans in here!} The voice paused for a moment, then continued in much softer tones, {Oops, my mistake. Those aren't humans. Come in, then, come in.}  
  
By this time, my eyes had adjusted enough that I could see the speaker, or rather, thinker. I was surprised to see that it was small, pink, very cute, and even rarer than it was cute, which is quite difficult to do. It was a Mew, thought to be extinct by most scientists. Most trainers hadn't even heard of it, and none had ever been caught, because it was also a powerful psychic.  
  
Needless to say, I was surprised. "A Mew? Wow!" I looked around at the cave, and found that it was filled with scientific equipment. "What's this? Where are we?" I looked around, only to discover that Natheon and Mew were involved in a one-sided (or so it seemed to me) discussion. I stepped up to one of the machines, intending to take a closer look. "Um, what's this?" I said more loudly, pointing at the screen.  
  
Natheon and Mew looked up simultaneously, then said/thought {"Don't touch that!"} in perfect unison.  
  
"Okay," I said, backing away uncertainly. "What is it?"  
  
{Most of the equipment here is power supply,} Mew explained, {but some of it is information banks, and what you were looking at just now is a DNA sequencer, for genetic research. We don't do actual cloning here, but we could if we wanted to. That's part of the reason we have to stay so secret; if this information and equipment fell into the wrong hands, it could be disastrous. We could have another episode like. . . } he trailed off momentarily, then addressed Natheon, {Um, Natheon, how much did you tell them?}  
  
"Not much, just that I was taking them to meet a few friends of mine. They don't know the story."  
  
{Okay.} Mew looked at us again, {Well, then let's just say that it would be very bad if, say, Giovanni got wind of this.} Giovanni was the leader of the criminal group known as Team Rocket. They stole pokémon for money, and for power. Giovanni was the one who had paid for the laboratory in which I was created. He built it expressly to create super-strong pokémon for himself. If he got hold of whatever findings they had. . . I shuddered, imagining several different scenarios, all of them more unpleasant than the last.  
  
{Exactly,} Mew said, noticing my shudder (and perhaps also the scenarios), {it would be very, very bad.} There was a tense pause.  
  
"Now then, Natheon mentioned friends," Suiculia said, breaking the tension, "As in plural. Where are the others?"  
  
{Right. The others. Follow me,} Mew said. It then teleported away. We waited, confused, for a moment. Then Mew reappeared.  
  
{Oops, sorry. I forgot, you guys can't teleport. Hang on,} Mew concentrated a moment, and. . .  
  
. . . we found ourselves in another room. This room had a table in it, And there was a large chair at the end closest to us. As soon as we entered the room, it turned around, apparently of its own volition, revealing a pokémon sitting in it. This pokémon was not one that I had ever seen before, though it bore a resemblance to Mew. It was much less cute than Mew, however, being considerably larger, not pink at all, and less rounded at the edges. It had its own sort of grace, though, and was certainly not ugly. {Hello,} it said, in a very familiar voice, a voice I will never forget, any more than I will forget Nurse Joy or the Bellossom. It was the voice I had heard just before the lab exploded.  
  
"Oh!" I exclaimed, startled. "You were that powerful psychic I felt in the lab. . . just before the explosion. . . the one the scientists called 'Mewtwo'!"  
  
"Yeah, that's where I heard it!" Suiculia said, "I knew I'd heard you before somewhere!"  
  
{Very perceptive of you. Most wouldn't remember. Yes, I was the one who destroyed the lab, making certain that all the pokémon got out safely.}  
  
"I thought it was strange that we flew so far," Suiculia said.  
  
I turned back to Natheon, who was grinning. "You knew all this already, didn't you?"  
  
"Of course. I've been staying here almost ever since we left the city."  
  
"Why didn't you tell us?"  
  
"You never asked," he replied, grinning wider.  
  
I groaned. "Oh, well." Then I remembered something else, "You said that we might just be the ones you've been looking for?"  
  
"I did, and I meant it, too. You see, there are guardian pokémon all over the place. They protect the land, or water, or whatever. They've been there since the beginning of time, or nearly so. You've heard the legends."  
  
"Of course we have. So, what's your point?"  
  
"Well, they have become more restricted lately, because humans are spreading out more, and getting more dangerous to the environment. They can't protect their assigned areas anymore. They need someone else to help them, and that's where you two come in.  
  
"You see, the pokémon chosen must be elemental, intelligent, and preferably one-of-a-kind. We've been mulling over this problem for a long time, considering many candidates, and finally, we decided that you two would be two of the best known choices. There are two positions to fill currently. Celebi, the forest guardian, needs help, and so does Lugia, guardian of the sea. We were thinking that probably Torellossom would be the one to help out Celebi, being a grass-type, and Suiculia could help Lugia, because she's a water type." He looked at us expectantly, "So what do you say? Want to give it a try?"  
  
"Sure!" I said, "This will be great! I've been looking for something to do with myself, and this job should be just what I need."  
  
Suiculia agreed to her job as well, and we both went off to receive our assignments about what areas to cover. I was told to guard the Viridian Forest, while Celebi got the Ilex forest, and Travisaur got all of the smaller forests and grasslands.  
  
It hasn't exactly been a walk in the park, guarding the Viridian Forest. It has its ups and downs. But mostly, it's been pretty easy. Plus, I get to observe passing trainers, and play with the forest pokémon. I'm in regular contact with the others, and the Bellossom, and occasionally I go into town just briefly, to let Nurse Joy catch a glimpse of me, and let her know that I'm all right. I'm not supposed to let myself be seen, though, so I only do that at night. I've been here for almost a year now, and I'm finally starting to really forget my past troubles. I'm just happy that I've finally found my place. 


	2. Author's Note

Author's Note!!!  
  
Thanks for reviewing, everyone! Here's my reviewer response chapter, as well as a sequel notification. THE SEQUEL IS UP!!!! Hooray!!!! *throws confetti*  
  
Well, actually, it's been up for two weeks now, but no one seems to have noticed. So I decided on this method of spreading the word.  
  
Anywho! Reviewer response!  
  
Mewtwo's Maid: Aren't they, though? Well, not all of them. . .but definitely all the ones hired by Team Rocket! Thanx for the compliments, your wish is granted! I couldn't leave these guys alone to wither away.  
  
Ninetales122: Since you liked this so much, go read the sequel!  
  
Elendil Star-Lover: Great name! Like I told Mewtwo's Maid, your wish is my command!  
  
The sequel's title is The War for the Forest, but it will probably change once I think up a better one. Basically, a year after this story, Torellossom and company must defend the Viridian Forest from logging by Team Rocket. I came up with the idea when the forest was so much smaller in pokémon G/S/C, and it sort of grew from there. Happy reading! 


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